In Celebration of World Book Day

Posted 3rd March 2016

It's the 3rd March, a beautiful date dedicated to books. World Book Day serves an extraordinary purpose. It allows us to take the time to escape into other worlds and transport into a number of characters, roles and narrators. It's because of books that we're able to gain a richer, wider, more colourful and deeper understanding of humanity.

So here's two books that will make you feel golden inside, two books that will move your organs about like little kites. Two paperback beauties you can purchase for just £15 by entering the code WBD16.

In the summer of 1977, Tony Ward met the German Translator Michael Hamburger during a poetry reading hosted by the Lumb Bank Arvon Foundation (a key moment of inspiration for Mr Ward). It was during this meeting when Tony Ward proposed a tempting offer - one which Mr Hamburger couldn't refuse. He asked Hamburger if he would be interested in translating for Arc, however, he left the option very open, by asking him to translate any poet of his choice. Hamburger immediately agreed and went away to look through his current work-in-progess.
Tony waited in anticipation, sipping bowls of ham and pea soup, scoffing digestive biscuits. Finally Michael Hamburger contacted Tony with a request to translate the Italian poet, Franco Fortini. No doubt, this came as a surprise, but a pleasant one nevertheless. Tony agreed to publish the poems and bravo - a beautiful collaboration was born.

Asa Benveniste's Pommes Poems were commissioned by Tony Ward in 1986. Two years later, on the day of its publication, Tony visited Benveniste in hospital with copies of the book. Sadly, that morning, Benveniste was awaiting to hear the terrible news that his leg would have to be amputated - the result of severe diabetes.

A gloomy note to end on, perhaps...

Happy World Book Day,

The team at Arc Publications

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